FAQs

When is the Australian Legal Research Awards deadline?

All applications and nominations for the 2023 ALRA Awards are due by close of business (5pm ADST) on Friday 3 March, 2023.

How many awards categories are there?

There are five categories in 2023:

A Lifetime Achievement Legal Research Medal will also be awarded.

Where are the application forms?

Application forms are on each award webpage. This year the forms are online; there is no need to print anything out.

Can I apply in more than one category (e.g. for different outputs or co-authored works)?

The requirement this year is that you can only apply in one category in total, so you cannot apply in two separate categories for two different outputs. We acknowledge this does make for some hard choices, particularly when it comes to co-authored outputs, but the idea is to ensure that you pick the output that you are most keen to submit.

What are the eligibility requirements for the awards?

Each award webpage lists the eligibility requirements for the respective award.

The eligibility criterion for the book award states “For co-authored works, at least 50% of all authors must be eligible in accordance with the employment requirement.” Does this apply on a ‘head-count’ or ‘contribution to effort’ basis? (My book has other co-authors and specialist contributors who are outside of Australia, but I can make a plausible case that I contributed at least 50% of the overall effort required in producing the book). Am I still eligible to apply?

As with the last awards, we will take a ‘contribution to effort’ approach to the percentage. Yes, you are eligible; please provide a short explanation of the situation in the application.

If I was an ECR at the time of publication, but am no longer one now, am I still eligible to apply for the Article/Chapter Award (ECR)?

Yes, you’re required to have been an ECR at the time of publication.

Regarding the PhD Award, what is the relevant timing of the date of ‘award’? Is it when a letter is received from the university confirming the PhD is being awarded, or is it graduation?

The date of ‘award’ is the date of formal conferral by the awarding institution (i.e. graduation ceremony day). This is consistent with the ARC’s approach for grant applications in terms of date of award of PhD.

For the articles category, rule 3 is “For co-authored works, at least 50% of all authors must be eligible in accordance with the employment requirement.” – is that at the time of application or at the time of publication?

This means at time of application.

Are ‘republications’ assessed from date of original publication or republication?

Date of original publication is what counts.

For the “only apply in one category” – is it right that all co-authors are considered to ‘apply’ in the category for which a publication is nominated (even if they are from another university).

Yes, all co-authors are deemed to apply.  (And the applicant indicates that they have the consent of all co-authors to submit the application)

I’d like to ask about eligibility for the Non-Traditional Research Output award. A colleague has asked me about a situation where she did more than 50% of the work on the output but has two co-authors who are not eligible. One is employed at an eligible university but not in the law school and the other is a Traditional Owner and not employed by a University. The NTRO concerns Indigenous issues.

I just wanted to check whether the same situation applies for the NTRO as for the book.

As with the last awards, we will take a ‘contribution to effort’ approach to the percentage. Yes, you are eligible; please provide a short explanation of the situation in the application.

What sorts of things are the Assessment Panels looking for in response to the application section, “Statement outlining why the publication represents an outstanding example of legal scholarship”?

The Panels will be assessing the: significance and timeliness of research; degree of originality; level of theoretical and conceptual rigour; appropriate methodology; appropriate style and organisation; contribution to field of legal scholarship.

Does my Associate Dean of Research need to do anything?

Yes, your Associate Dean of Research needs to know of your intention to apply and support your application. They do not need to fill out any forms in 2023.

Where can I see the past award winners?

See the 2022 award winners and shortlists.

Where will the awards be awarded?

The 2023 Awards will be awarded at the annual conference of the Australasian Law Academics Association (‘AALA’).

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